Rollers which are intended for use in printing presses can be employed, for example, as ink transport rollers, typically as inking rollers, ink ductors, application rollers or distributing rollers in inking systems, which ink transport rollers can be changed from use in panoramic printing to use in printing in several colors next to each other. Panoramic printing is understood to be the printing of an image over two pages without a break. With a printing press of a width of four pages, it is therefore possible, during panoramic printing, to print two panoramic images, each extending over two pages. When changing a printing group from panoramic printing to printing in several colors next to each other, or vice versa, various retooling procedures are required at the inking system, depending on its type.
In order to reduce the retooling work that is typically required, ink transport rollers are known from DE 196 28 647 A1, in which recesses that are located between the individual cylinder-shaped sections of the inking roller can be selectively closed off. In accordance with an embodiment described in DE 196 28 647 A1, a strip-shaped insertion element is used and which is clamped on the roller and thus closes off the recess. In this prior device, the strip-shaped insert element can be made of plastic with a sufficiently high heat expansion coefficient, so that the strip, after having been heated in a water bath, can be mounted on the roller and thereafter is clamped and closes the recess while the strip is subjected to cooling. Alternatively, it is also possible to employ steel strips with copper surfaces, which steel strips can also be clamped on the roller in the normal state by applying mechanical clamping forces.
U.S. Pat. No. 795,858 shows an inking roller whose barrel has two sections that are separated by a groove. This groove can be closed off by the use of two half shells.